Jack McCarthy’s black pudding is championed by some of the best Irish chefs – it was served to the Queen on her state visit in 2011 and his Bramley apple sausages are made from free-range pork. Fortunately they are now becoming more widely available in specialist stores and online.

Tartines – open sandwiches are absolutely adored by the French. Because they are simple, you need good bread, preferably sourdough, and the best, ripest blue cheese you can find. Serve it with the watercress tossed in vinaigrette made with walnut or hazelnut oil, and some toasted nuts.

This is a great way to jazz up a traditional Sunday roast where the chicken is marinated in yoghurt and spices making it meltingly tender. . The flavours here are really fantastic and really penetrate the flesh of the chicken. Try to by a free-range or organic chicken, as the flavour is always so much better.

This quiche uses a soft curd goat’s cheese, which is wonderfully smooth and light with clean lemony flavours with hints of flowers and sweetness that develop when pared with the caramelised red onions.

These mini banana bread loaves are deliciously moist and are extremely easy to throw together. I’ve added some chocolate chips to this recipe but you could use some toasted chopped nuts instead if you prefer. This recipe will also fill a 900ml loaf tin and will take about 50 minutes to cook in the oven.

This simple but very tasty tart makes an elegant dinner party starter served with some lightly dressed bitter leaf salad. This savoury tart is a wonderful way to celebrate a mature Cheddar cheese and pared with the caramelised onions is a match made in heaven!